Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by Time magazine, number-one New York Times best-selling author George R. R. Martin is a giant in the field of fantasy literature and one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. Now he delivers a rare treat for listeners: a compendium of his shorter works, collected into two stunning volumes, that offers fascinating insight into his journey from young writer to award-winning master.

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Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by Time magazine, number-one New York Times best-selling author George R. R. Martin is a giant in the field of fantasy literature and one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. Now he delivers a rare treat for listeners: a compendium of his shorter works, collected into two stunning volumes, that offers fascinating insight into his journey from young writer to award-winning master.

This edition contains all three of the "Unabridged Selections" volumes that are sold separately. So, if you're using a credit this is obviously the one to get. There are 3 stories from the print edition that are not included here: "The Ice Dragon" which is available as a seperate audiobook and the two television scripts: The Twilight Zone: "The Road Less Traveled" and Doorways, a pilot that was too similar to Sliders.

Fans of Game of Thrones will be pleased with "The Hedge Knight" which is set in the same universe.

Volume 1:

Introduction by Gardner Dozois

A FOUR-COLOR FANBOY - Introduction to the following 3 stories read by George R.R. MartinOnly Kids Are Afraid Of The DarkThe FortressAnd Death His LegacyTHE FILTHY PRO- Introduction to the following 4 stories read by George R.R. MartinThe HeroThe Exit To San BretaThe Second Kind Of LonelinessWith Morning Comes MistfallTHE LIGHT OF DISTANT STARS - Introduction to the following 6 stories read by George R.R. MartinA Song For LyaThis Tower Of AshesAnd Seven Times Never Kill A ManThe Stone CityBitterbloomsThe Way Of Cross And Dragon

Volume 2:

THE HEIRS OF TURTLE CASTLE - Introduction to the following 2 stories read by George R.R. MartinThe Lonely Songs Of Laren DorrIn The Lost LandsHYBRIDS & HORRORS - Introduction to the following 6 stories read by George R.R. MartinMeathouse ManRemembering MelodySandkingsNightflyersThe Monkey TreatmentThe Pear-Shaped ManA TASTE OF TUF - Introduction to the following 2 stories read by George R.R. MartinA Beast For NornGuardians

Volume 3:

THE SIREN SONG OF HOLLYWOOD - Introduction to 2 scripts missing from the audiobook edition.DOING THE WILD CARD SHUFFLE - Introduction to the following 2 stories read by George R.R. MartinShell GamesFrom The Journal Of Xavier DesmondTHE HEART IN CONFLICT - Introduction to the following 6 stories read by George R.R. MartinUnder SiegeThe Skin TradeUnsound VariationsThe Glass FlowerThe Hedge KnightPortraits Of His Children

As I expected, I enjoyed some stories and did not care much for others. This is an anthology of work by George R.R. Martin covering a good portion of his career. I really enjoyed that each "section" of the book began with the author providing some background on the works about to be read, telling the personal side of the stories. I thought these were at times more entertaining than the stories themselves.

While some were not thrilling or unpredictable, it does not detract from the quality of writing I find with much of Martin's works. Dreamsongs does not disappoint, especially for fans of George R.R. Martin's style of writing.

If you could sum up Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections) in three words, what would they be?

Imagination Richness Vibrant

What other book might you compare Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections) to and why?

Not the grinding fantasy world of Game of Thrones, but sci-fi and fantasy short stories that have a unique realist feeling through the characters, environments and the way the writing lets you feel empathy for the star of the story in a way that I rarely read in that genre, that makes it so much better than the average work. I can imagine the events much more as actual events in his science fiction than any other I have ever read/heard.

Which scene was your favorite?

All the stories are different, but I like the Tuf Voyages stories the best.

If you could rename Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections), what would you call it?

A Kaleidoscope of Worlds

Any additional comments?

The voice talent is excellent but Scott Brick is fantastic. Best I've heard for fiction, my favorite.

I really enjoyed hearing Martin tell his story and this thing is fully of short stories. Some of his shorts were really good and left me wanting to hear more and some of them were just so-so but as a whole I enjoyed it very much. If you are interested in Martins path to fame this paints the picture and includes quite a few shorts from Martin's early career through the mid 80's.

That's the way you feel when you listen to George Martin - actually listen to the author - read his early stories (along with some other pretty amazing narrators-big shout out to Scott Brick, a personal favorite) and explain where he was and what was going on in his life when he wrote them. I loved it from beginning to end.

Dreamsongs is excellent. It works as a chronicle of Martin's career, as an introduction to his various universes, and simply as a collection of first-class stories. Even though the stories cover a wide range of genres, they mostly deal with what Martin refers to as the human heart in conflict, which he discusses in his introduction to the last section.

The readers are all wonderful. Special mention goes to Adrian Paul, whom I didn't expect to be so good at narration. Also, Roy Dotrice!

I would, even though I disliked most of the sci-fi stories. I'm pretty sure most of my friends would..

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections)?

Ice Dragon. A simply beautiful story, I just had to listen to it in a single setting.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Roy Dotrice. After listening to A Song of Ice and Fire he has definitely become one of my favorite narrators, although his narration of A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons was poor compared to his earlier narrations. I'm a big ASoIaF fan, so I suppose that influences my opinion of this book (:

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